Chapter 12: Implicated 

As soon as the words were spoken, a stone was thrown, hitting the wolf squarely on the head. The wolf seemed to be in pain and dared not attack again. 

Many witnessed this and quickly picked up stones as well. 

For a moment, the wolves were driven back and ceased their assault. 

However, the stones on the ground were limited. Once they ran out, the group would still become prey for the wolves. 

Shang Ruoyi approached He Jingheng and asked in a low voice, “Heir Apparent, do you possess Inner Force?”  

He Jingheng looked at her and nodded. “What of it?” 

“With your martial skills, piercing through a wolf’s skull with these stones should be effortless, correct?” 

“And your point?” 

“The Wolf King,” Shang Ruoyi said, eyeing the aggressive pack. “If we can locate and kill the Wolf King, the rest will retreat on their own.” 

He Jingheng gave her a slightly surprised glance. 

He hadn’t expected this woman to know so much. 

But how would a woman from the inner chambers be aware of such things? 

The stones at their feet were dwindling, and the wolves seemed to notice. 

They paced back and forth, growing increasingly restless. 

Then, another howl echoed through the air. Shang Ruoyi and He Jingheng simultaneously locked onto a particularly massive wild wolf standing at the rear of the pack. 

A stone imbued with Inner Force shot from He Jingheng’s hand. 

In an instant, it struck the Wolf King’s head. The force was so great that the stone embedded itself into the beast’s skull, splattering blood everywhere. 

After a weak, dying howl, the Wolf King slowly collapsed. 

Hearing this, the pack gradually halted their advance. 

With their leader dead, the wolves were left directionless, unsure how to proceed. 

Seizing the opportunity, He Jingheng hurled a few more stones, and the wolves at the front fell one after another. 

Seeing this, the pack ceased their attack and soon scattered, disappearing into the distance. 

Only when the last wolf vanished did everyone finally exhale in relief. 

After this ordeal, the prisoners’ prejudice toward the Dingguo Prince Residence seemed to lessen somewhat. 

The hostility in their gazes was no longer as intense as before. 

Shang Ruoyi still couldn’t understand how the Dingguo Prince Residence had offended these prisoners, but no one stepped forward to explain. 

The aftermath of their narrow escape left them utterly exhausted. 

Yet, no one dared to delay further. Without even stopping to rest, they pressed on until they emerged from the forest and saw the towering city walls. Only then did they breathe easier. 

By then, the city gates were already closed, forcing them to spend the night in a dilapidated temple not far from the entrance. 

Upon arriving, they overheard the guards whispering among themselves. 

Shang Ruoyi’s sharp hearing caught their conversation—during the struggle with the wolves, their provisions had gone missing. 

With the gates remaining shut until morning and their energy completely spent, everyone was starving. 

The prisoners, who were already rationed to one meal a day, remained silent, but the guards couldn’t endure the hunger. 

They were discussing what to do when another group of prisoners arrived at the temple, escorted by a separate contingent of guards. 

The Old Princess, who had just sat down, abruptly stood up again, her voice trembling as she cried out, “Ning’an! Zhiyuan! You… why are you here?” 

He Ning’an and He Zhiyuan were the Old Princess’s second and third sons. 

The Old Prince had taken only the Old Princess as his wife, and together they had three sons. 

The eldest, He Yuwen, inherited the princely title, while the second and youngest were granted the rank of commandery princes. 

He Ning’an served in the Ministry of Personnel, and He Zhiyuan in the Ministry of Works, both holding crucial positions. 

Now that the Dingguo Prince Residence had fallen into misfortune, their families had been implicated as well. 

“Mother!” He Ning’an hurried to the Old Princess’s side. “Mother, how are you?” 

At the sight of her sons, the Old Princess could no longer hold back her tears.

“We’ve brought trouble upon you all,” the Old Princess wiped her tears and said sorrowfully, “Now our He family is finished.”

“Hey, hey, hey! You’re still here reminiscing?” A bailiff stepped forward and shouted, “All the men in your family, except the disabled one, come here.”

Currently, there were six male members in the He family.

Besides He Jingheng and He Qinian, there were also the Old Princess’s two sons: the second son He Ning’an and the third son He Zhiyuan. Each of them had a son—He Jinghe and He Jingxi.

At the moment, He Jingheng couldn’t move, while the other five were uninjured.

“You lot, come with us to fetch food and bring back a few wolf carcasses.”

Having lived as masters all their lives, they were now being ordered around by mere bailiffs, which naturally filled them with resentment.

Seeing their inaction, the bailiffs grew angry and lashed He Zhiyuan and He Ning’an with a whip, leaving bloody welts on their bodies.

The Old Princess watched with a pained heart.

“Listen up, don’t you dare act all high and mighty here. Here, I’m the one who calls the shots. If you want to live, you better obey. Otherwise—” He raised the whip again and struck, leaving fresh welts on the two.

He Jinghe was about to step forward when He Jingxi pulled him back, shaking his head slightly.

He Jinghe clenched his fists tightly and turned his gaze to Shang Ruoyi.

He glared at her with hatred.

How dare she still stand here?

If it weren’t for her father, how could the He family have fallen to such a state?

Just yesterday, he had been drinking and enjoying music with courtesans in the Fragrant Heaven Courtyard, and today he had become a prisoner.

Shang Ruoyi noticed his hostile gaze and understood the reason behind it. Once again, she cursed Shang Nian a hundred times in her heart.

The male members of the He family were taken away, leaving the women in the temple.

He Ning’an’s wife, Madam Zhang, led her daughter-in-law Qiao Yanxin to sit far from the Old Princess. When Madam Zhang first married into the family years ago, the Old Princess had never taken a liking to her, and Madam Zhang had harbored resentment ever since. However, after the family split, her husband, content with his title of commandery prince and lacking ambition, held only a sinecure in the Ministry of Personnel. Many matters in their household still relied on the Dingguo Prince Residence for support. Despite the Old Princess’s dislike, Madam Zhang often visited the mansion to curry favor and seek benefits.

Now that they had all fallen into misfortune, the Dingguo Prince Residence could no longer be relied upon, and the Old Princess would be lucky not to become a burden. Thus, Madam Zhang no longer pretended to be filial.

Madam Qin approached and handed her a water pouch, “Why don’t you greet Mother, sister-in-law?”

“Hmph, Mother has never liked me much. I figured she must be in a bad mood now, so I didn’t want to upset her further.”

Though she said this, she didn’t move an inch, but she kept the water pouch.

The Old Princess had long known her daughter-in-law’s character, which was why she had never warmed to her.

Madam Qin smiled and returned to her seat.

Meanwhile, He Zhiyuan’s wife, Madam Lin, brought her daughter-in-law Cong Fangzhi to the Old Princess’s side and said softly, “Mother, you’ve suffered.”

The Old Princess patted her hand, “I’m fine. At my age, I’m already close to the grave. Death wouldn’t be a big deal. But you all—ah.”

Madam Lin noticed Shang Ruoyi standing nearby, and her smile faded slightly, “This must be Prime Minister Shang’s daughter, right?”

Shang Ruoyi curtsied gracefully, “Greetings, Third Aunt.”

“You flatter us. How could we possibly deserve such courtesy from the Prime Minister’s daughter?” Madam Lin, hailing from a military family, carried an air of natural boldness in her demeanor, and her words left no room for concession.